Waste Watch provides the public and businesses with information on waste issues as a means of encouraging them to reduce their environmental impact at home and at work. Waste Online was created to allow more people easy access to this information at all times.
The site, found at www.wasteonline.org.uk targets a broad range of people with different levels of environmental knowledge.
Waste Online hosts a wealth of useful documents for manufacturers, including guides to useful materials and the best available technologies for treating waste. Those responsible for their company’s environmental performance will benefit from reading articles on implementing environmental policy. The website also offers advice on how environmental management can cut costs.
Digesting legislation
A dedicated policy and research unit provides another crucial service. The team negotiates environmental legislation and translates it into a language industry can understand. Information is broken down into smaller pieces, so
environmental managers can see the impact of new legislation such as the WEEE
directive and the directive on the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
Waste Online was in development for some months before its launch. Richard Newson, marketing officer for Waste Watch, explains: “A lot of time and money has been invested in the project. We did not want to officially launch the site until it had been perfected,” he adds.
The time taken to collate relevant information and produce it in a user-friendly way has been a worthwhile process. “We had some great feedback on the site,” says Newson. Waste Online won the Technology Innovator award in March this year. It was also one of the shortlisted finalists for website databases at an IT industry awards ceremony.